NASA’s Terra satellite capture strange image of the sky above the Gulf of Mexico

NASA’s Terra satellite recently captured an intriguing image of the sky above the Gulf of Mexico and just off the coast of Florida, revealing peculiar, eerie voids in the clouds.

These enigmatic voids, termed cavum clouds, hole-punch clouds, or fallstreak holes, have confounded scientists for over six decades, with some even attributing them to paranormal phenomena. However, researchers have now unraveled the mystery behind these unusual cloud formations.

In the photograph, snapped by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite last month, a collection of elliptical figures or circles appeared, seemingly cut out from the clouds with precision. According to NASA, these formations even displayed “feathery wisps” within the center of the void.

These cavum clouds form when airplanes traverse through layers of altocumulus clouds, as stated by NASA, citing a study published by scientists from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in 2010 and 2011. NASA explained that these mid-level clouds are laden with liquid water droplets that are “supercooled,” meaning they remain in a liquid state despite temperatures dropping to the freezing point of water.

“Supercooling occurs when water droplets are exceptionally pure and lack small particles, such as dust, fungal spores, pollen, or bacteria, around which ice crystals typically form,” elucidated NASA.